Campton Hills OKs preliminary residential development plans

A proposed 900-unit residential development got the next green light from the Campton Hills Village Board of Trustees, after village trustees unanimously approved preliminary plans for the project at a meeting Tuesday.

The ordinance unanimously approved by the board Tuesday, which grants the project a preliminary planned unit development, or PUD, zoning designation, essentially gives the developer — Geneva-based Shodeen Group — the opportunity to move forward with things like technical review and negotiation of infrastructure improvements, according to village attorney Carmen Forte.

The proposed development, called LaFox of Campton Hills, is planned to be built on 962 acres generally bounded by Route 38 to the north, Keslinger Road to the south, Harley Road to the west and Brundige Road to the east. The area was previously unincorporated, but in September it was annexed into Campton Hills in anticipation of development.

The area has been the subject of numerous development proposals over the years, but none have come to fruition.

Proposals to develop the area have historically faced opposition from resident groups, but Shodeen’s speech ultimately won their support – through meetings with local organizations and by proposing a project with a lower density of homes and considerable open space.

The development is expected to include 900 homes, more than half of which will remain open space, according to the plans.

The village council ultimately chose to annex the land to Campton Hills in September as Shodeen continued the project. Annexation benefits landowners, Shodeen President David Patzelt said previously, because being part of a municipality means more staff and capacity to manage the land. As for the village, the annexation gives it a chance to shape what happens in the area and ensure the project is consistent with its goal of low-density development and open space.

Suburbs on the outskirts of the Chicago metropolitan area have seen considerable population growth in recent years, according to new estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. But plans for expansion and development can be hamstrung by some elected officials and residents in these same communities, who say factors such as the predominance of green space are what drove them to move there in the first place.

However, as the suburban population grows, Campton Hills has been a strong advocate for maintaining a semi-rural community. Its mission statement, for example, highlights priorities such as “agricultural traditions” and “honoring rural heritage,” a philosophy that aligns with local resident groups who opposed previous development proposals.

Today, with the support of local groups and the village board of directors, Shodeen is moving forward with its development project.

At the village board’s Nov. 17 meeting, Forte said the village’s planning and zoning commission recommended approval of the PUD, subject to certain conditions. The preliminary PUD was then brought to the village council on Dec. 2 for a vote.

Documents for preliminary approval included items such as an initial landscaping plan and a sample phased construction plan. Approval was also subject to some specific conditions, outlining requirements for things such as road width and street lighting for the project.

Tuesday’s approval from the Campton Hills Village Board, however, is only preliminary and does not yet give the green light for construction, as the final PUD — which has “a lot more meat on its bones,” according to Forte — must be approved first.

The developer has two years from approval of a preliminary PUD, he noted, to submit a final PUD application. The project is expected to take place in phases.

But, although the plans ultimately got the go-ahead from the village council, one question that came up was around affordable housing and the role this development could play in increasing the affordable housing stock in Campton Hills.

At Tuesday’s meeting, Trustee Terese Hopfensperger asked how much housing was considered affordable in the village.

Trustee Frank Binetti said the threshold varies depending on the amount of debt a person has, but on average for a family of four it is about $266,000. But trustee Nicolas Boatner noted that as they go deeper into Campton Hills, rather than the broader area, the affordable rate would be significantly higher.

Campton Hills has one of the lowest affordable housing stock rates in the state, according to a 2023 Illinois Housing Development Authority report on the Affordable Housing Planning and Appeal Act. According to the report, its share of affordable housing – defined as being within reach of buyers earning 80% of the regional median household income or renters earning 60% of the regional median household income – was just 2.4%.

Under the IHDA’s 2024 guidelines, an affordable home in the Chicago metro area — including Kane County — would equate to a purchase price of about $174,000 for a single person or just under $250,000 for a family of four, for example.

Hopfensperger said it is “impractical” for the village to have affordable housing when the units use wells and a septic system. But, with this new development coming where that won’t be an issue, she said she wants to make sure they take that into consideration and “don’t create a scenario where we haven’t solved this housing problem.”

“If the townhomes (proposed for the project) are actually going to contribute to that statistic, then that’s … good news,” Hopfensperger said.

Forte said municipalities that fall below the state’s 10% affordable housing threshold must have a plan for how they intend to reach that threshold.

Trustee Janet Burson pointed out that people seeking more affordable housing are not just those moving into the community, but also include those currently living there: older residents who are aging out of their homes, those who are divorced or widowed, adult children looking to remain living in the community. But she expressed the opinion that the issue had nothing to do with the PUD’s approval.

“I don’t believe there’s been any representation that any of this constitutes affordable housing,” Burson said during the project meeting.

That approval process is happening concurrently, Forte noted at the meeting, with the village’s evaluation of whether to create a tax increment financing, or TIF, district in the area.

A TIF district is a type of economic development incentive in which the value of a property is essentially frozen, and the additional or “additional” taxes created by the development of the property are paid into a special fund used to pay costs associated with improving the area. The annexation agreement, approved by the board in September, includes the possibility of a TIF district.

According to Forte, the village’s decision to create a TIF district should be decided before the final PUD plan is approved.

mmorrow@chicagotribune.com